Fitting It In...

Trying to fit that proverbial square peg into the round hole is difficult at times.

Hell, who am I kidding...it's difficult all the time.

A life with small children is a testament to this statement. For example, trying to get out of the house on time with two young ones in tow. Oh yes...now you see my point.

Mornings are my favorite time of day and by nature I am an early riser. Those moments before the rest of the world awakens were always very special to me. Whether I was hitting the gym or lingering over my morning joe they were mine and only mine.

That was, of course, before children.

A fly on the wall on any given morning would be exhausted after watching only two minutes of our morning routine...and that is even before my children are up. There are lunches to be finished, coffee to be made (and injected) and the evening's dinner to be prepped. There is the 40 minutes of yoga, my personal sanity saver, to fit in so I can begin to get a grasp on the tasks ahead of me. There is the time it takes to get myself ready and presentable for a day in the professional world...and then there are the kids. My two little lovebugs have also always been early risers so you'd think they'd be up as soon as I was...but nooooo...of course as soon as school starts and we HAVE to get up they decide it is the perfect time to start sleeping in. Go figure.

I am happy if we just get out the door...never mind the state we're in or even if we are remotely on time.

You see, forcing issues with kids can make life miserable. You say go, they sit down. You say stop, they run away. It's like they just have the need to do the opposite of anything you say and pushing the limits with that just cements their stubbornness even further. It is maddening to say the least. So, what do you do?

You do the best you can.

I am no longer worried about getting my kids up and dressed before daycare so clothes are packed in backpacks. As far as I know, no one has ever suffered by wearing jammies all day and secretly I think my kids love it. Breakfast is dry cereal in a bag and lunches are made the night before. Dinner happens whether I prep it early or not and somehow a shower is slipped into the mix. Letting go just a bit allows all of the pieces to fall into place without tears or tantrums...from me. And everything always seems to work out, just maybe not the way I had planned which evidently is just fine.

So mornings continue to be my favorite time of day but for different reasons. I have learned to cherish the calm before the storm even more as it is still my time, even if for just a short bit of time. There is also the sweet anticipation of the good morning hugs yet to come from my two little someones snoozing downstairs.

That is the best part of all...and makes the rest so very worth it.